Intelligence warns of Chinese rebels’ attack on torch relay

New Delhi, April 16 (IANS) India’s intelligence agency has warned Delhi Police of five Chinese nationals who may cause disruption to the Olympic torch relay Thursday, senior police officials said Wednesday. “We have received specific inputs from Intelligence Bureau (IB) and officials have been put on high alert,” said a senior police official.

According to intelligence inputs, five Chinese nationals - Mohammad Abdullah, Abdul Khalid, Umar Aziz, Yousaf Sattar and Abdullah Daoud - have crossed Nepal border and are at present in the national capital.

IB has provided photographs of the five men to the police and warned that they might attempt to disrupt the torch run at Rajpath.

The police said the men are from Xinjiang region of China and are suspected to be involved in the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, a militant Uyghur outfit that advocates an independent Islamic state of East Turkestan.

Fearing a repeat of the disturbances that marred the torch-relay in London and Paris, commandos from paramilitary forces and thousands of policemen swarmed the two-kilometre route from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate in the heart of the capital.

A team of 16 deputy commissioners of police (DCP), 70 assistant commissioners of police (ACP), and 140 inspectors are supervising the thousands of security officials under the direct command of Joint Commissioner of Police (New Delhi Range) Ajay Kashyap.

Over 3,000 security personnel are camping on the lawns flanking Rajpath, the central avenue, turning the tree-lined area into a sea of khaki. Around 600 plainclothes policemen are expected to run with the torch.